An aviation ordnanceman from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) is putting his knowledge of bomb building to great use, working with the Royal Navy aboard their newest aircraft carrier during testing of the F-35 Lighting fighter jet.

F-35s operating from HMS Queen Elizabeth recently dropped their first bombs during the testing period, thanks in large part to the efforts of AO2(AW/SW) Robert Little. He is part of a team overseeing the Royal Navy air engineers on board.

“The team has run really well with the work we have done with them, they have come up to speed pretty fast,” said Little.

The inert GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided precision bombs were dropped off the U.S. east coast, marking another significant milestone in the carrier’s trials. Adding the 500lb bombs to the jets for take-off has enabled the trials teams to see how the jets behave when carrying various weights, gathering crucial test data.

It is the first time the American-made bombs have been embarked in a UK ship. They are made up of a head, containing the bomb’s computer, the tail and a concrete warhead. They carry no explosives.

Little, being part of a team overseeing the work, has enjoyed his time on the British warship.

"With substantially fewer Sailors onboard compared with U.S .carriers, the main things I have noticed are the gangway is a lot quieter, the berthing and amount of space you get is way better," said Little.

Queen Elizabeth continues her flying trials – on a deployment called Westlant 18 – along with her escort ships HMS Monmouth and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Lassen (DDG 82).

She left her home port of Portsmouth, England, in August, crossing the Atlantic with embarked Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters from 820 Naval Air Squadron at Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose and Merlin Mk4 helicopters from 845 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton.

More than 1,400 sailors, flight crew and Royal Marines have been working on board the carrier during her deployment.

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